MECHANICAL CLINICS

“Like barnacles on an old trawler, I’ve biked for 20 years under the impression that i knew how to clean, maintain, and perform minor miracles on my bike. The Spring Tune-Up Clinic expertly delivered by Derek MacNeil of www.bikeright.ca , was the hull cleaning I didn’t know i was desperate for. Derek is a master craftsman of all things bike, and for a brisk 4 hours, we were drenched with cycling wisdom, riding tips, maintenance gems, and humorous stories. His bike clinic is machined to be equally informative to bikers of all skill levels, and you will always walk away feeling safer and more confident on your ride. I highly recommend this clinic for everyone and don’t forget to bring your bike – it probably deserves a day at the spa more than you do about now!”

NB - Uxbridge, ON

“I thoroughly enjoyed bike tune-up workshop put on by Derek MacNeil of www.bikeright.ca. I had no idea how to clean a bike properly nor the safety concerns if one didn’t. I filled up a small black notebook with notes from the class and gleaned a wealth of information in one short session – from everything to what type of bike to purchase, the mechanics of road bikes and their endurance based on design and materials. Tire pressure was an important topic that Derek gave a lot of insight into, as well as showing us how to actually repair a damaged tube and tire. Lots of tips like the front tire should have slightly less pressure than the back tire etc. were covered as well. I’m about to buy a road bike and he definitely gave me much more background to work with when I enter the bike shop. Also he even adjusted my bike for a problem knee and re-fitted my friend’s bike to lessen her upper back and neck problems.
I would highly recommend Derek’s workshop based on his exceptional expertise.”

SB - Uxbridge, ON

My bike is relatively new so I thought “what can possibly go wrong?” After sitting through the Spring Tune-Up Clinic I learned that “a lot can go wrong”. I now understand the importance of cleaning my bike regularly, basic maintenance that will help minimize the risk of things going wrong, and what to look/listen for that could indicate a problem. I have a new sense of respect for my bike. Derek is a perfectionist who takes great pride in his work. In the words of my husband “you want someone like that working on your bike…and your airplane”.
I have already sent along recommendations to friends!!!

VJ - Toronto, ON

What a terrific day! The course went off without a hitch. And Derek was an amazing instructor.
Thanks again for putting this together, the day could not have gone better.
Everyone got something out of the course. Personally, I am a lot less nervous about getting a bit more hands on now.

KD - Toronto, ON

RIDE CLINICS

Wow!!!! You did it. You managed to do something in a few lessons that we have been working on for years. We were really to the point of giving up and just coming to terms that Nathan would never ride a bike. Born with cerebral palsy, Nathan has had many challenges in his 14 years. He is the oldest of four kids, all of whom ride a bike. We always wished for him to achieve this goal so that the entire family could enjoy this activity together.
We now have it, and it is all thanks to your time, patience and encouragement with Nathan. He is so proud of his accomplishment….you can see it on his face as soon as he straps that helmet on. Thanks Derek, we are so grateful. Don’t stop what you’re doing…you’ve given Nathan a whole new independence!!!!!
Susan Smith and Brian Clarke

“I was able to get out mountain biking on the weekend a couple of weeks after I took the clinic with Derek. I was very pleased that I was now able to get over some new obstacles and that I had the confidence to try others that which I might not have tried in the past. The most noticeable difference was my hill climbing. There were two hills on the trail which, in the past, I had not been able to climb. One of the hills, I was able to get further than ever before, and I know next time I will make it to the top. The other hill, I made it all the way to the top using the techniques that I had learned from Derek.”
SV - Sugarbush, ON

Thanks for the most excellent mountain bike instruction! You have a way of being able to break skills down into basic components, choosing appropriate drills to work on those components and then putting it all back together to apply it to the trails. That’s exactly what I needed to gain some confidence and improve my climbing, descending and obstacle hopping. When I’m ready to take further steps next season, I know where I can turn for some assistance!!
Making the switch to mountain biking this season has been a blast! Why did I wait so long?
DR - Toronto, ON

BIKE SERVICE

I own a good bike. It costs more than my wife’s car. For many reasons not relevant here, I take care of her and am very in tune with the way she operates. When she isn’t operating the way she is designed and built, I can hear it instantly and it affects my ride. For this reason, I only let certain people at my bike shop work on her and get her tuned perfectly.

For the first time in many years, my 2013 bike wasn’t well. It didn’t sound right. It didn’t feel right. It didn’t respond right. Every 2 weeks I was back in the shop with the same, or similar problem. It was a frustrating year. I don’t know about anyone else, but I hate being ‘that guy’ in the peloton that’s bike creaks and makes clicking sounds. That ended up being me and often I’d choose to drop off and ride alone (or with very patient friends).

At what point do you wonder if the regular trusted mechanics at the store are missing something or aren’t paying enough attention to the issue? I get that they are busy and are more or less a triage station. Time is money, I get it and I know they cant spend hours figuring out what the hell was wrong with my precious ride.

Finally, I had to try something else. Derek, who I have known for many many years, is a guy that hates riding with ‘that guy’ and the noisy bike. This is mainly the case because he is a bike mechanic and secondly because all he thinks about while he rides with you is what on earth is going mechanically with the bike? It should be silent, smooth, every cyclist knows what a clean and efficient bike sounds like! So finally he told me to bring it to him.

[Cue my guilt to my bike store.]

But. A week later, my bike comes back with a long explanation of what was wrong. Lots of little issues. Lots of tweaking. Lots of fine combing through the drive train.

I have not had a problem since Derek took care of it. Its humming perfectly. It’s smooth. It’s simply perfect. She deserved it and so did I.

Oh, and he charged me the same amount as what the bike store did.

I have a new bike mechanic. Nobody can beat the personal attention and expertise that Derek possesses. Plus I can now tell my friends I have my own bike mechanic!
MB - Toronto, ON

Hey Derek – just wanted to let you know that I was blown away when I unwrapped the handlebars. A PERFECT bar tape application! Great job Many thanks!
RM - Toronto, ON

I rode at Buckwallow today and the bike was awesome! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
I am thrilled with how the bike rides and how the bike looks. Thank you so much for working with my bike and for doing this so quickly.
Thank you, thank you, thank you … again!
LB - Schomberg, ON

The wheels are great. They better then new.
I was able to get out on them twice and have really noticed the difference. They seem lighter, stronger, and faster. Also the blade spoke seems to cut thru the wind.
PR - Mississauga, ON

I wanted to share that I had an awesome experience at the Summer Solstice this year and my bike was fantastic! No mechanicals!!
My 5 person, all female team took 3rd in a pretty competitive group of 7 teams.
Thank you for supporting my riding!
LB - Schomberg, ON

Just got back on Thursday night. The race was nuts, racing at altitude was really tough & many teams dropped out from the effects (we went as high as 5000m). I messed up some nav early on, which set us back to around 20th place, but then we raced steadily for the remainder and ended up 2nd. Dude, the bike was magic! I meant to email you after I took it out for a spin after you tuned it a few weeks ago. Seriously, it was the smoothest drivetrain I’ve ever felt, even compared to brand new. During the race we rode through tons of mud and slop, as it rained every afternoon and my bike never missed a shift. I think that lube and how it was applied really helped, I never had that grinding drivetrain you usually get in those conditions and I heard my team-mates drivetrains acting that way. Thank a tone D-Mac!
BM - Collingwood, ON

Derek has demonstrated his technical and mechanical skills by taking apart and servicing my trek full suspension and has built me (from the frame up) a 29 hard tail…which goes like a dream! At the same time, answering in detail, all my questions. Every effort was made to keep to a budget and fit the best parts.
Derek is a fountain of knowledge for all things ‘bike’.
KM - Toronto, ON

Got home and had no problem with the wheels. Then went for approx. hour ride. The bike is really great but I can see how bike shoes would help. I may change my mind on that sooner rather than later. Thanks so much for your help! It made all the difference to me.
LJ - Toronto, ON

I just got back from my first ride with my NEW bike…wow….it was awesome, smooth, clean, shiny, the gears shifted effortlessly, brakes (in the rain) no problem! Thank you so much for transforming the Trek into a sleek machine.
ZS - Uxbridge, ON

WHEEL BUILDING

After many broken spokes on my custom wheels I finally have wheels that I love, thanks to Derek. He recommended Sapim CX Ray spokes for my ENVE 45 Rims and DT Swiss 190 hubs.
Derek is a true master at building wheels and the time he takes to fine tune to true and tension each spoke is astounding.
I now have wheels that I can trust and give me the performance I was looking for.

MOBILE SERVICE

Another great event by Multisport Canada today at Welland. I wanted to bring to your attention the fantastic help I got shortly before race time by Derek from your team. I had a problem getting air into one of my Zipp wheels and he sprang into action and got me fixed up by trying a few things and persevering in trying to solve it. He saved my race today and I am very grateful for that.
SJB - Toronto, ON

After speaking with Derek it dawns on me that I have no clue as to a regular maintenance program with my bike.
“A chain every 3,000-5,000 km – really?? New cables every year – really?? Break pads are worn – really?”
In fact, I would say that most people view taking a bike into a store to be similar to that of asking someone how much money they’d like…very similar to a car repair. You don’t mind paying for great care and service but don’t want to get ripped off AND one determines good service when the “click-grind-clankety clankety” sound goes away!
Most people fix things as they break and not before hand.
While small now, I bet you your mobile service will be a real winner. As a busy person I barely have time to ride the dam thing, let alone baby it like I should. Love it.

BIKE FITTING

Derek at first felt really strange, so high and like I was on stilts. By end of our 60 k felt perfect and my butt was not sore and my arms were not aching and neither was my shoulders. My quads are sore after ride at outside of each leg (not it) so I must be using those muscles now. Changed gears like a charm and handlebar tape was lovely. So all is fabulous so! Now I just have to figure out how to go faster:)
MH - Toronto, ON

I am a beginner triathlete having only done a few short races and one 1/2 iron man where I injured my hip on the ride. I was referred to Derek for a bike fitting and was very pleased with the results. He is very thorough and precise with his measurements. In the end I felt very comfortable in my new set up. I highly recommend his service.
JS - Richmond Hill, ON

Just want to thank you for the bike set up and advice, had an amazing ride today. It felt like a totally different machine! Front shifting and breaking big made me look like a star and those rims are just super fast. I took your advise on tire pressure, 90 back 85 front, felt like I was in a Cadillac. Looking forward to race day more now that I have a bike that I like! Thanks again.

Rode my bike on the trainer 4 times so far, the first 2 rides were 45 minutes and definitely felt different. The last 2 rides felt great, and feeling more & more comfortable on the bike. I am very pleased with the set up so far.